Whole
New Concepts
Training and Development Services for Today's World
See the Big Picture ~~ Respond to Change
Become Sustainable
Holistic Management
Family Farms & Ranches
Sustainable Agriculture
Business Development
Local Food
Beginning Farmers
About our Services
Consulting, Training, Speaking, Facilitation & Mentoring
We offer a customized mix of training, research, development, facilitation and technical services for leaders, managers and policy-makers who desire to be socially, economically and environmentally sound in their approach.
We assist you in identifying sustainable solutions by developing and completing a feedback loop for your situation. Completing a feedback loop is a continuous process that helps you create and maintain focus and provides a structure for testing decisions, planning, taking action, monitoring, evaluation, and applying learning.
Completing a feedback loop promotes resiliency in a community, business, organization or family situations where human, natural, and economic resources are managed. Resiliency enables decision-makers to respond to change. Adaptability is essential to sustaining social, ecological and economic vitality in a dynamic world.
We help you ensure that information flows through your feedback loop on a continuous basis allowing managers and decision-makers to be flexible in responding to the complexity of today’s world.
We work with non-profit organizations, community groups, and government agencies. Request more information
Holistic Management Training & Mentoring
Our training and mentoring programs, courses and workshops focus on bringing out the best in you. We use a practical, action orientated approach to training. People are able to put what they learn into immediate use. All training is highly interactive and designed to address your concerns. Your trainer will:
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Provide state of the art learning programs & opportunities.
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Customize training to fit your needs.
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Create an atmosphere that supports your learning process.
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Provide guidance as you apply what you learn Help you realize immediate results.
We specialize in brining state of the art training and mentoring to family farms and ranches who wish to adopt a whole farm & ranch approach to management and enterprise development.
Cindy Dvergsten is a Holistic Management® Certified Educator registered with Holistic Management International. She has many years of personal and professional experience in family based agriculture, natural resource management, enterprise development and niche marketing. She has practical experience using Holstic Management on her own farm, in her businesses and personal lifestyle.
Cindy has recently joined the Savory Institute as an accredited Associate Consultant and Educator and the SW Colorado Small Business Development Center as a business advisor and a NxLevel® Entrepreneurship program instructor. Cindy has also completed training in co-active coaching, and process facilitation.
We are happy to work with you in designing a program and/or learning materials that fit your needs. Click for details:
Find out more about training and workshops
Find out more about distance learning programs
Request more information and customized training
Contact us to make arrangements for in-person training for your group
Speaking & Presentations
Cindy Dvergsten is available
for presentations and
workshops on a
variety of topics related to
sustainable agriculture, land stewardship, Holistic Management,
small-scale farming, marketing, farm enterprise development, land
management and natural resources, biological monitoring, heritage
breed conservation, Navajo-Churro Sheep, heritage turkeys, and
grassed based agriculture. She has a wide variety of experiences
to share as well as a large network of associates,
clients and
resources to draw from.
Holistic Management Facilitation
Are you working to bring a group of people together towards a common vision, create a focus for decision makers, gather information, motivate and organize people or improve participation? If so, then the skills of a facilitator may be invaluable to you.
We bring out the collective energy, creativity and wisdom of people in situations where achieving desired results requires their input, cooperation and participation. We work with clients to:
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To enhance communication through dialog
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Discover common ground, establish commitment and get everyone focused on the same page
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Build ownership in a vision, goal or in specific outcomes
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Establish measurable results
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Unleash human creativity
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Diagnose and solve problems
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Formulate organizational structure and strategies
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Implement plans, programs and policies
We incorporate the Chadwick consensus process, the holistic decision-making process, and participant centered / co-active approaches to bring about your best possible outcomes. Contact us for details or to request a proposal. Request more information
"Cindy you are a gifted facilitator.
Thank you for all you do.
Rigoberto Delgado, Director SW
Projects,
Heifer International, El Paso TX
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
Click here to contact
us with questions about our services
and to
make requests for proposals
Quick Links to
Our Services
Core Programs
Holistic Management Framework
Includes training in Holistic Decision Making, Financial Planning, Grazing Planning, Land Planning, and Biological Monitoring. Available as distance learning or in-person. Ideal for beginning and experienced farmers, small businesses, family lifestyles, ranchers and land managers.
Putting Whole-Systems Management Into Practice
This program includes training and or mentoring focused on action planning for lifestyle, business, farm enterprise development, marketing, educator certification and structured diagnosis of problems. Available as distance learning or as an in-person workshop.
Enjoy the Flexibility of Distance Learning & Mentoring
Put time and money into learning, not travel. Enjoy flexible schedules Learn from the convenience of home or office. Learn at your own pace, in your own way. Apply what you learn as you learn it for immediate benefit. Working with a mentor is like a having a guide by your side.
Recent Presentations
Generating Wealth & Sustainability with Agriculture in Montezuma County: Trends & Potential for Family Farms & Ranches in Today’s Economy." Sponsored by Mancos CARES, a community action group focused on land use and quality of life in the Mancos Valley of Colorado.
In CAHOOTS: Community Supporting Agriculture Supporting Community: How can we nurture local agriculture and allow it to sustain us in return?" Sponsored by RJ Ranch and Deep Roots an community action group involved with sustainable community development and local food in Steamboat Springs Colorado.
"Risk Management Strategies." Four Corners Small Farm Conference
Navajo Nation Dept. of Agriculture Grazing Official Quarterly Meeting Land Monitoring Workshop
"Wisdom on the Leading Edge" The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Annual Meeting
Land Care Australia "People In the Landscape" Armidale, New South Wales
“Marketing Your Values”: Marketing strategies for family farms and ranches. Colorado Holistic Managers Annual Meeting
Examples of programs
we have developed.
The Land Use Net Benefit Program and Companion: A whole-systems approach to decision-making for policy makers, land owners, and community planners, funded by La Plata County Community Development Department.
Navajo Nation Department of Agriculture Land Monitoring Handbook funded by the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.
Land Monitoring Walkabouts & Eco-literacy Field Workshops.
Kady Youth Sheep Camp for Dine’ Be’ Iina' Inc funded by First Nations.
Training programs for the application of Holistic Management® Framework for Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Heifer International Projects, Native American Indian groups, family farms and ranches, individuals and micro-businesses.
Grazing Management Training for Dine’ Be’ Iina Inc. program funded by the USDA Risk Management Agency.
Wisdom on the Leading Edge: leadership and organization, values clarification, dialog and goal setting skills for Boards of Directors who implement a holistic approach.
Mentoring Programs for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Projects in Whole Farm Planning based on the Holistic Management Framework.
Customized Training for Heifer International Projects based on the Holistic Management Framework.